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Writer's pictureBrent MacGillivray

Essential Pastry & Baking Ingredients


So now that we have a reasonable set up for work, see yesterdays blog if you haven't! Today is all about ingredients and measurements. I will be sticking to the basics for now. Many of these things you likely already have, but there will be a few newer, important items as well. So get your shopping list together, and get ready for the lessons to come over the next few weeks!


The list is in order of usage and importance with side notes on types & brands

  • Sugar; granulated white ,raw, brown and 10X icing sugar

  • Alternative sweeteners; honey, maple syrup, corn syrup. I personally don't use chemical sweeteners!! PERIOD

  • Sea Salt

  • Flour; AP, Pastry & Bread

  • Yeast; active dry or fresh

  • Vanilla; beans or pure extract, Tahitian, Mexican or Madagascar. NO ARTIFICIAL CRAP

  • Butter; unsalted, at least 80% BF

  • Cream; whole milk 3.5% and 35% cream

  • Eggs; free range large or extra large 50-55 grams each

  • Nuts; whole preferred, you can make your own sliced and ground nut meals...or buy them.

  • Pectin

  • Fondant

  • Chocolate; cocoa powder, dark, milk and white. Use a high quality "Belgian" style pistols or blocks. I recommend https://cococochocolatiers.com

  • Spices; as needed, cinnamon, clove, ginger, etc

  • Cornstarch

  • Baking soda, powder and cream of tartar

  • Seasonal fruits; try to avoid out of season produce. Keep it local with some exceptions made for unusual tropical fruits that are native to there location.

And that's about it for the list, as I mentioned many of these things you likely have in your larder. There will be some exceptions, but as we move forward, I'll try to stick to the list!


GETTING READY TO PREPARE YOUR FIRST RECIPE

One thing I want to emphasize is the need for organization! Baking & Pastry is a science, and requires precise measurement and the use of formulas. I won't bog you down to much with formulas yet, I'll introduce them as the need arises. By organization, I mean pre preparation. Here are the steps I use to begin baking a cake. The steps are pretty much always the same for any baking or pastry item you make.

  1. Gather your tools and pans(prepped for baking)

  2. Scale all the ingredients

  3. Preheat the oven

  4. Prepare ingredients in the proper order, mixing, folding, whipping, etc

  5. Pan the product

  6. Bake & Cool

  7. Finishing touches, masking, decorating and garnishing

In the business, we call this "mis en plac". A place for everything, and everything in it's place!


Thanks for dropping by, join me tomorrow for our first recipe. Hey, maybe I'll start with something for your New Years Eve celebrations! Cheers!


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